Sunday, February 26, 2012

Normally when we say 'off the beaten path' on this blog we would mean 'not near Los Angeles'. Whenever we travel, wherever we go, we're always checking out the local libraries. Laton's library is a case of 'off the beaten path' as in not (too) near Los Angeles and also, if-you-didn't-know-to-hunt-for-it-you-might-not-find-it.

We were pointed in the direction of Laton by a family member that knows our love for libraries and mentioned that a Carnegie library had been lovingly restored about 10 years ago. We got in the car and drove to Laton's 1.9 square mile of town. Luckily for us the library was open. They are currently only open four days a week, for four hours on each of those days.

When we pulled up I hoped aloud for two things -- that something/someone would tell me the branch history, and I also wanted to know how old their beautiful oak tree 'neighbor' was. A library fact sheet we picked up told me a little of each. As did the helpful librarian on duty, who was proud to show off the library and it's historical artifacts.

From the library's fact sheet I learned that the library was officially opened on June 18, 1904. I also learned it was not a Carnegie library (the community could not meet eligibilty conditions for Carnegie) but was gifted to the community by the city's founders, L.A. Nares and W.E.G. Saunders.

A quick search through the Los Angeles Times and I discovered Nares and Saunders were real estate men selling land from the old Laguna de Tache Spanish grant (in Laton), I'm sure a library would have been a nice draw. Nares was also a bit of a daredevil. He established many records for quickest automobile trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The fastest time I found for him making the trip was twenty-four hours and fifty minutes in 1905 and driving a Pope-Toledo. Soon after he was vowing to do it again and make it in twenty and a half hours!

Back to the library - one of the neatest features of the libary is a three-sided fireplace, that was a new one on me. Another neat feature was the beautiful oak tree out back, which, according to the fact sheet, is 150 to 200 years old. Another helpful handout they have is a four sided guide to Laton History Sources, all available in some manner at the Laton library. I wish we would have looked at it closer before leaving, I would have loved to have seen two of the boosterism items - the 1919 Chamber of Commerce's Where would you like to live? If you can live where you like, it is likely you would like to live in Laton and Nares and Saunders 1899 A different California. Laguna de Tache grat: something more than climate and scenery: a place for the small farmer and man of moderate means. If you're ever near Laton, California, on the right day (check their website for hours), and have an interest in libraries and/or history I wholeheartedly recommend the Laton library.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

An intriguing invitation came across the Calix listserv on January 26th inviting people to visit the Moorpark Library for their 100th anniversary celebration on January 28. We quickly switched up our plans and headed to Moorpark.

Moorpark is a small town off highway 23 west of Simi Valley. The library was warm and inviting and so was the staff. I was glad to see a few displays up in the library which gave a bit of history.

One display was a copy of the Moorpark Enterprise newspaper dated Thursday, August 1, 1912. There was an article announcing that a Ventura County Public Library was being opened at the Women's Club and would be staffed by Mrs. E.C. Graham every Friday from 2pm to 5pm. The list of books that could be found at the library when it opened (about 50-60 titles) seems pretty progressive - Wireless Telegraphy, When Patty Went To College, Women Wage Earners, Dominant Dollar and Some Famous American Schools. It was interesting to see that topics of relevance today, including timely gadgetry, were equally relevant then.

This was the first celebration event of their centennial year with more events each month, leading up to the big day, August 1, 2012. The next event is at 2pm Sunday, February 12 and will feature memories of Moorpark with the Moorpark Historical Society. They are also having a big Friends of the Library used book sale through February 15.